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SOUTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL

The Moderation of Learning, Teaching and Assessment in the Broad General Education

MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES

November 2016

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction Page No

1.1 Why does the guidance on assessment and moderation keep changing? 3

1.2 Does this approach to planning and assessment create unnecessary bureaucracy? 3

1.3 What is moderation? 4

1.4 What is the difference between moderation and verification? 4

1.5 How frequently should we assess and moderate in the BGE? 5

2. The Holistic Planning of Learning, Teaching and Assessment

2.1 When should we plan for assessment? 5

2.2 What does effective assessment planning look like?

2.2.1 Stage 1: Select a bundle of Experiences and Outcomes 6

2.2.2 Stage 2: Note the associated CfE Benchmarks 6

2.2.3 Stage 3: Develop the learning intentions 6

2.2.4 Stage 4: Develop the success criteria (including co-creation of success 7

criteria between learners and teachers)

2.2.5 Stage 5: Plan a range of rich learning experiences (including ways in which

you can show that your planning is based on the seven principles of curriculum

design) 8

2.2.6 Stage 6: Plan a range of assessment approaches and assessment 10

evidence

2.2.7 Stage 7: Plan how you will provide evidence of the teacher’s voice and

the learner’s voice for moderation purposes 12

2.3 What planning formats will we use in South Ayrshire and do I have to use them? 13

2.4 How many assessment plans do we need to submit for moderation? 13

2.5 How do we involve the learner in the planning and assessment process? 14

3. The Moderation Process

3.1 Review all assessment evidence provided 14

3.2 Evaluate the bundles of Es and Os 15

3.3 Evaluate Learning Intentions and Success Criteria 15

3.4 Evaluate Learning Experiences and Assessment Approaches and Evidence 16

3.5 Summary of professional discussion and Planning Next Steps 17

4. Appendices 18

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1. INTRODUCTION

Please note that this guidance has been compiled using extracts from a range of national publications and resources provided by Education Scotland and schools.

1.1 Why does the guidance on assessment and moderation keep changing?

Refinement of thinking about Curriculum for Excellence continues to affect all sectors and will no doubt continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The focus on a very large numbers of Experiences and Outcomes with the introduction of Curriculum for Excellence arguably made it more difficult to develop a coherent curriculum. As teachers planned to ensure that they had covered all Es and Os, this led to a focus on breadth rather than depth of learning and fragmentation of the curriculum resulted in some areas. In South Ayrshire, we therefore worked collaboratively to develop Curricular Frameworks to help teachers focus on depth, pace and challenge, and plan for progression in learning through the Broad General Education. Education Scotland also provided guidance to support planning for progression in Professional Learning Papers and Progression Grids for each curricular area. This led to the focus on the concept of ‘significant aspects of learning’ to help us improve the coherence of the curriculum and plan progression and assessment. Early Years practitioners are also agreed standards of achievement by defining milestones of achievement.

It was acknowledged, however, that teachers often found the concept of ‘significant aspects of learning’ difficult, and so a decision was taken to publish assessment standards in the Curriculum for Excellence Benchmarks to help teachers make better assessment judgements. The significant aspects of learning are now embedded in these Benchmarks. However, where schools and departments have found it helpful to use significant aspects of learning to inform their planning then there is no reason why they should not continue to do so. The Benchmarks will still be useful to illustrate the standards for assessment.

1.2 Does the South Ayrshire approach to planning and moderation create unnecessary bureaucracy?

Two pro-formas have been developed to support teachers through the planning and moderation process at this early stage of our learning about moderation. (Appendix 1: Planning Pro-forma, Appendix 2: Moderation of a Level Pro-forma) Working groups have tried to develop sustainable approaches to assessment, moderation and verification and reduce bureaucracy. A variety of processes and procedures have been piloted in our schools over the last two years to find the best way forward for teachers. New procedures were piloted by all secondary teachers culminating in a moderation event in October 2016. Colleagues in other sectors were also consulted via the Assessment and Moderation Facilitators network. Further adjustments and refinements were subsequently made in response to that feedback.

The two pro-formas designed to support planning and moderation discussions are seen as a temporary arrangement to support teachers until we become more familiar with the process. Schools and departments can also submit evidence using their own approaches to planning if they prefer. We would encourage staff to attach existing evidence eg course plans etc to avoid duplication. Documentation will be reviewed again after our planned events to moderate achievement at a level in 2016/17.

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1.3 What is Moderation?

Moderation is the term used to describe approaches for arriving at a shared understanding of standards and expectations in the Broad General Education. It involves teachers working together, referring to guidance and examples of assessment to agree assessment standards. It does not simply involve looking at learners’ responses to assessment. It involves discussion and evaluation of all aspects of the learning process including the following:

planning learning, teaching and assessment

quality assuring planned learning experiences

checking that assessment tasks and activities provide learners with fair and valid opportunities to meet the standards and expectations before assessments are used

sampling evidence from learners’ work and review teachers’ judgements

agreeing strengths in learners’ performances and next steps in learning

providing feedback on teachers’ judgements to inform improvements in practices

Moderation activities are based on professional dialogue between groups of staff working together, using their existing professional ideas of standards and expectations. Moderation discussions need to take place across subject departments, stages, schools, clusters, and subject networks across in the authority

For moderation to be effective staff need a lot of information about the context in which the learning and assessment approaches took place, as well as specific information about the instruments of assessment and pupils’ responses. This guidance therefore considers two distinct parts of the process required to agree standards in the BGE: the planning process and the moderation process. The two processes are interrelated.

1.4 What is the Difference between Moderation and Verification?

Moderation is the process we use to arrive at a shared understanding of standards and expectations in the Broad General Education. It differs from the process of verification used by SQA in the Senior Phase in a number of ways: Verification is a quality assurance process designed to confirm that assessments are fair, valid and reliable and meet published SQA assessment standards. It is supported by internal and external verification processes.

The process of moderation is also a quality assurance process but it evaluates much wider aspects learning including:

The appropriateness of planned holistic learning, teaching and assessment strategies and experiences

The standards shared by teachers with learners in learning intentions and success criteria

The formative and summative assessment tools and strategies used to measure progress

The standards of learning demonstrated by the assessment evidence

The quality of feedback given to learners

The moderation judgements of teachers in school concerned

This task will be made easier by the recent publication of the Curriculum for Excellence Benchmarks which now replace the Principles and Practice Papers and the Progression Grids.

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1.5 How frequently should we assess and moderate in the Broad General Education?

It is important that planned approaches to assessment are proportionate and manageable and do not unnecessarily increase the burden of bureaucracy on teachers and learners. Formative assessment will be ongoing on a lesson by lesson basis and will provide good assessment evidence in itself. However schools / teachers / departments are likely to identify a few periodic and holistic summative assessments in the course of the session to evaluate progress in learning.

Whatever you choose to do, it is unlikely that you will be able to moderate all assessments in all year groups every year. You may instead plan to moderate all assessments on a rotational basis over a two or three year period. Quality assurance and moderation is particularly important at points of transition in order to share standards and expectations across sectors and providers.

2. THE HOLISTIC PLANNING OF LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT

2.1 When should we plan for assessment?

If the planning for assessment is done well, moderation should be a relatively straight forward task.

Planning for assessment should begin at the same time as teachers plan learning experiences / lessons, units and courses. Discussions about the planning of learning experiences and agreeing outcomes should include discussions about how learners will progress, what that progress will look like and how learners and their teachers will gather evidence to demonstrate this progress. When teachers are actively engaged in discussion about the learning at the planning stage - and throughout the development of the learning experiences / lessons / courses - a shared understanding of standards and expectations will evolve. Collaborative planning is an important part of the moderation process.

The NAR Flow Chart indicates the stages in the planning process and can be used to support teachers in planning learning experiences. This is contained in Appendix 3 with some very simple guidelines on how to use the flowchart in Appendix 4 and more detailed guidance in Appendix 5. We would encourage staff to look at these materials as they provide helpful and effective guidance. You can also use these materials to plan CLPL activities for staff in your school depending on which stage you, as a school or department are at on your learning journey.

2.2 What does effective assessment planning look like?

NB It may be easier to understand the planning processes if you read the following list of steps in association with looking at the planning pro-forma in Appendix 1.

This pro-forma is provided to support teachers to look at the planning process in a holistic way. You can make changes to this pro-forma or use your own planning procedures if you think they are better.

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Planning assessment should involve the following stages:

2.2.1 Step 1: Select a Bundle of Experiences and Outcomes Begin your planning by selecting a bundle of Experiences and Outcomes that fit well together and forge natural links in learning across the curriculum. This will include Es and Os from the curriculum areas that are the responsibility of all ie literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. (For the purposes of the moderation events planned for May and October 2017 we are not asking all staff in secondary schools to submit evidence relating to Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing although it is likely that this will be requirement in the future. Staff in primary will be focussing on Literacy or Numeracy) If you are planning an interdisciplinary project, or if your planned learning includes several curriculum areas, please just focus the selection of Es and Os on the learning you plan to assess. In the very best practice, learners are also actively involved in this planning process. For example you may discuss the Es and Os with your learners to agree which learning activities would be most beneficial for them in overtaking the experiences and achieving the outcomes, to enhance their motivation and engagement. This also supports learners to take increasing responsibility for their own learning and progress.

2.2.2 Step 2: Note the Associated Benchmarks Now note the associated Benchmarks for the Es and Os to provide further information on the standard. Planning should however focus more firmly on the Es and Os because the Benchmarks simply give some examples to illustrate the standards required at each level. They do not provide a checklist of everything that has to be done to achieve a level. The Es and Os provide full coverage and information on appropriate learning experiences as well as standards of achievement, 2.2.3 Step 3: Develop the Learning Intentions Now develop the learning intention(s). A learning intention is a statement that describes what learners should know, understand and be able to do by the end of the learning experience. It is an overarching statement. Look closely at the Experiences and Outcomes you have selected. You will find it useful to pick actual words and phrases from the Es and Os which help you identify the skills and the content to be taught. Indeed you can identify the appropriate level of challenge in the Es and Os by analysing the language used. For example is the learner being asked to ‘describe’, ‘compare’ or ‘evaluate’. This will help you to ensure that learning experiences and assessment approaches provide the correct level of challenge for learners. The Benchmarks will also provide clear statements about what learners need to know and be able to do to achieve a Level. Agree the learning intentions with colleagues and learners. You may find it helpful to start all learning intentions with the phrase: “We are learning to….” (This is to ensure that the focus is on the learning and not on the tasks that pupils will undertake – this is a common mistake when first planning and using learning intentions) Learning intentions should reflect the standards and expectations set out in the Experiences and Outcomes. The match between the Experiences and Outcomes, the planned learning experiences and the learning intentions is really important to ensure that your assessment information valid. Please also

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remember that you are assessing skills, capabilities and attributes as well as knowledge and understanding in the Broad General Education. Example: Es and Os: I am aware that positive friendships and relationships can promote health and the health and well being of others. HWB 2-44b Learning Intention: We are learning to identify how positive friendships can enhance our own health and well being as well as that of others. Evidence suggests that when learners are clear about the learning intention, they are more focused and actively engaged in their own learning. Sharing the learning intention also makes it easier to provide good quality feedback on what has been learned, and also supports learners to take responsibility for their own learning. If teachers in your team are not confident about planning learning intentions and success criteria, then we strongly advise spending time on this as it underpins all aspects of effective planning, assessment and moderation. For further information on developing good learning intentions and success criteria see Appendix 6 which provides very helpful guidance downloaded from the Education Scotland website. Your Assessment and Moderation Facilitator can also help here.

2.2.4 Step 4: Develop the Success Criteria

Now develop the success criteria that will be used to evaluate the evidence of the learning. Success criteria are suggested ways to achieve the learning intention. Success criteria should be clear, relevant and measurable definitions of what you think success in learning will look like. They are your assessment criteria. Make sure they are closely linked to your learning intentions and the evidence of learning that you will be able to collect. Good success criteria:

Focus on the learning rather than the doing (task)

Refer to specific features of the work that will be assessed

Use words that emphasise the learning, knowledge and understanding and skills (eg describe, compare, evaluate)

Avoid focusing on a list of end goals – the process is more important than the product

Avoid specifying amounts as this places a ceiling on achievement ( e.g. 10 ideas etc. – raise the bar for all!)

Are written in child friendly language It is a good idea to express success criteria as ‘I can’ statements. Example: Es and Os: I am aware that positive friendships and relationships can promote health and the health and well being of others. HWB 2-44b Learning Intention: We are learning to identify how positive friendships can enhance our own health and well being as well as that of others.

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Success Criteria: I can discuss what positive friendship looks like I can discuss what positive friendship feels like I can discuss how my own behaviour and choices allow me to make and keep good friendships I can discuss how others’ behaviour and choices allows them to make and keep good friendships I can show that I respect others’ ideas and opinions when we are discussing positive friendships by listening and responding to what they have to say. The provision of good success criteria will support all teachers in reaching appropriate assessment judgements. For further information on developing good success criteria see Appendix 6 Co-Creation of Success Criteria: Involving learners in agreeing success criteria: It is very good practice to involve learners in agreeing the success criteria in lessons too. Indeed HGIOS 4 indicates that this continues to be an expectation of ‘very good’ teaching. Teachers will clearly have planned the most appropriate success criteria that they hope to elicit from learners through discussion, in advance of the lesson. Skillful questioning and discussion of prior learning will be required to reach agreed and effective success criteria. For example you may wish to discuss and agree the characteristics of a good discursive essay, a good sculpture, a good presentation or a good musical composition with the class to co-create your success criteria. If pupils and teacher are aware of the criteria then both pupils and teacher can judge ‘how much’ (breadth) and ‘how well’ (depth) they have learned. This type of discussion will also help learners to know and remember what good learning looks like. For learning to be most effective, learners will come to internalize and remember the success criteria over time. The standards for school inspection outlined in HGIOS 4 indicate that the involvement of learners in agreeing success criteria, being able to talk about success criteria and use success criteria to evaluate their own learning and plan their next steps in learning is an indicator / expectation of very good practice. Clearly this will help to develop the skills of independent learning over time. The principles and procedures associated with formative assessment including this example are the foundation of effective learning, teaching and assessment. It can be difficult to provide evidence of this process of co-creation having taken place for moderation purposes. Some schools use the heading ‘Co-Created Success Criteria on assessment evidence to show this. It is also acceptable to describe these approaches in the ‘Teacher Voice’ section of the planning pro-forma to provide some evidence for the moderation team. 2.2.5 Step 5: Plan a Range of Quality Learning Experiences Now you need to plan a range of rich learning experiences and activities that will motivate and engage your learners and also allow them to develop and demonstrate the knowledge and skills they need to achieve the learning outcomes and intentions. Some learning experiences are more appropriate for teaching certain skills than others and so it is important that teachers do discuss and agree the best pedagogy to support achievement of the learning intention. For example you would not teach and assess someone’s ability to drive a car solely via an investigation and writing a report! You should also consider the seven design principles when planning rich learning experiences:

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Challenge and enjoyment

Breadth

Progression

Depth

Personalisation and choice

Coherence

Relevance Have you taken account of these principles when you plan learning experiences and how can you provide evidence of this for the moderation team? In the examples given below, you will note that the learner’s voice (their comments on their learning and their self assessment) is very important evidence for moderation. Your planning team should consider how you can design assessment activities to ensure that learners can self assess their progress against the success criteria as well as their wider progress in becoming a more independent learner? How can you provide evidence of the CfE planning principles for moderation purposes? Here are some examples: The moderation team will check that your assessment evidence shows that the level of challenge is appropriate to the Es and Os and benchmarks. Does the evidence provided show that the school / department have high expectations of all learners and not just the most able? Does the evidence show that the learner meets the standards outlined in the Es, Os and benchmarks (eg they can describe, compare, evaluate etc)? Does the evidence show that the learner has had the opportunity to show creativity? You can tell if the learner has enjoyed their learning and been active and engaged in the process by reading their comments on their progress? You can also glean if enjoyment is likely by looking at the types of learning experiences that were planned. The moderation team will check for breadth through the coverage of Es and Os, particularly if they are moderating achievement at a level. They will check if the assessment evidence shows breadth across all organisers, and across the knowledge, skills and attitudes described in the Es and Os’? Breadth is also defined differently in curricular areas. For example in literacy, breadth may also include breadth across a range of different types of texts. Breadth will be evident in ‘how much’ the learner has learned. When moderating achievement at a level, progression will be evident in the planned learning experiences and assessment activities which will become increasingly more challenging over time. Assessment evidence will show that the learner is becoming increasingly skilled and knowledgeable over time. Depth will be evident in ‘how well’ the learner has achieved the success criteria. Does the assessment evidence include demonstration of higher order thinking skills for example? Can they draw different strands of their learning together and explore and achieve more advanced levels of understanding? Personalisation can be evidenced by ensuring that the level of challenge in the learning experiences and assessment approaches is appropriate to the needs and aptitudes of the individual learner whose evidence you are considering. Choice, where appropriate, could be evidenced through the learner’s voice or the teacher’s voice in describing the planned learning. Is there any evidence that the learner can make carefully considered choices as they progress in their learning?

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You can evaluate the coherence of the learning experiences and assessment by considering if the bundling of Es and Os is appropriate and if the various learning experiences and assessment activities combine to provide a coherent rather than fragmented learning experience. Are links made between different aspects of a child’s learning and can they make connections between learning in different contexts, particularly when they are applying their learning in new and unfamiliar contexts? Finally you can find evidence of relevance if the learner is clear about the purpose of the learning experience (eg are learning intentions appropriate?). Is there any evidence that they see the value of what they are learning and its relevance to their lives in the present and the future? 2.2.6 Step 6: Plan the Range of Assessment Approaches and Assessment Evidence Planning a variety of assessment approaches will enable you to focus more closely on the progress of each learner. Having a variety of assessment evidence will make your judgements about progress and next steps more valid. A range of evidence also allows for a more holistic judgement to be made. (It is likely in the early stages of your moderation journey you will start by looking at key assessment items such as summative assessments. Over time, the moderation process will look at a wider range of evidence which shows that a learner has achieved a level) Planning the range of assessment evidence. It is essential that we use evidence of learning from a broad range of contexts to check how learning is progressing and that learning is secure. Evidence will come from day to day learning (usually formative assessment) as well as periodic assessment tasks (usually summative assessment). The assessment process involves gathering and considering evidence produced by teachers and learners, using the agreed success criteria, in order to arrive at the judgements about what has been learned, ‘how much’ and ‘how well ‘ and what needs to be done next. Assessment should also involve different types of evidence which include what learners will SAY / MAKE / WRITE / DO to demonstrate their progress in learning. NB It is not necessary to provide evidence of make / say / write and do for moderation purposes. What is important is that the assessment provides the most effective means of identifying progress in learning in relation to the Es and Os. Assessment evidence may include the following: If you have a variety of assessment evidence you will be able to focus more closely on the progress of each learner and your judgements about progress and next steps will be more valid.

Observations

Checklists

Self/peer assessment material

Notes (teacher/young person)

Diary entries

Learning logs

Written assessment tasks

Written work

Personal Learning Plans

Video clips

Audio clips

PowerPoint presentation

Annotated photographs

Models

Products

Paintings/sculptures

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Planning Breadth Challenge and Application. In addition to using a range of assessment approaches to assess how a learner is progressing and achieving in curricular areas over time, you will also need to have evidence of breadth, challenge and application when generating or moderating evidence of achievement at a level. Breadth– Has the learner demonstrated achievement across most of the Es and Os, organiser(s), knowledge and skills etc. (Check there are no major gaps in the learning). Breadth is also defined differently in each curricular area. For example in literacy, breadth is defined as including the need to ‘engage with and create a broad range of texts, fiction and non‐fiction, printed and multimedia, spoken and written’.

Challenge – Has the learner demonstrated that they can cope with an increasing level of challenge in their learning? Challenge refers to attributes, capabilities and skills, including higher order thinking skills, which are embedded in learning. An appropriate level of challenge gives learners opportunities to demonstrate aspects of learning where they have a depth of knowledge and understanding, high levels of skill and well-developed attributes and capabilities. Challenge is often evident when the assessment has been designed to allow learners to demonstrate achievement at the next level in some aspects of their work where possible.

Challenge is also evident when learners can work independently with reduced levels of support over time. This includes support from their peers, teachers and resources as well as strategies such as scaffolding. The table below shows some ways of increasing challenge in learning and assessment over time such as the use of increasingly higher order thinking skills.

Increasing Challenge in Learning, Teaching and Assessment

1. Teaching and Assessing Higher Order Thinking Skills

Knowledge - remembering

Understanding

Application

Analysis

Creating

Evaluation

2. Use of open ended questions and tasks

3. Increasing length and complexity of text (s) used

4. Increasing detail / complexity / accuracy of response required

5. Increasingly complex concepts and contexts

6. Application in a new and unfamiliar context (this must be included)

Application – Can the learner apply their learning in new and unfamiliar contexts? How can we create opportunities for them to apply their learning in this way? When we ask learners to apply their learning in new and unfamiliar contexts we have the opportunity to help them appreciate the purpose and relevance of their learning. Application is evident where a learner can use knowledge and skills across the curriculum and the four contexts for learning. It is an indicator that the learner is secure in their learning. It is of course what we have been doing for many years when we design assessments.

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2.2.7 Step 7: Plan how you will provide evidence of the teacher and learners’ voice to support moderation judgements

The Teacher’s Voice:

Listening to the teacher’s voice is a very important aspect of the moderation process. The teacher’s voice can be included and evidenced in two ways:

1. In written feedback to the learner 2. In comments to the moderation team

1. Written feedback to the learner An important step in planning is to identify how teachers will provide feedback on next steps in learning when they have undertaken assessment. As noted above, if you are going to moderate teachers’ judgements, you will need to see what these judgements were in the first place in their comments to the learner.

The quality of dialogue in feedback is very important and oral feedback can be more effective than written feedback. However for the purposes of moderation you will need to see written feedback. Written feedback is also far more effective if it is in the form of comments rather than grades or marks and if pupils are given the opportunity to reflect on / discuss the feedback and redraft work or reconsider their work.

Many teachers / departments aim to reduce workload and increase consistency of teacher judgement by producing assessment profiles for each assessment task. These profiles list the success criteria that the teacher is using to assess the learners. Teachers then simply tick a box to show ‘how well’ the pupil has progressed to meet each criteria and add a few comments at the end on next steps.

If agreed success criteria can be published in this way, we can ensure that the assessment standards applied are consistent across the department / cluster / authority. The assessment profile also provides detailed information for the learner on their strengths /achievements and their next steps in learning, whilst minimising workload for teachers. Without the profile, teachers would have to write detailed comments for each pupil. Giving good quality feedback to pupils which is based on the learning intentions and success criteria has been shown to motivate learners to improve their work and have a much better understanding of their learning. Assessment profiles support peer and self-assessment as well as teacher assessment. The moderation team needs to know what the teacher thinks are the strengths and next steps for the learner in each assessment so that they can moderate the teacher’s judgements. NB If the teacher’s comments are provided on the assessment evidence or on an attached profile sheet in relation to success criteria for example, then there is no need to duplicate that information on the planning pro-forma.

2. Teacher Comments on the Planning Sheet to the Moderation Team

The space on the planning pro-forma gives the teacher the opportunity to justify their decision that this learner has achieved the level if they wish. They can also record their professional judgements. They might explain why they have included some assessment items (eg where a learner failed to achieve part of a summative assessment at an earlier stage in the learning process, the teacher may include evidence from

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day to day learning at a later date to show that they did eventually master that aspect of learning). It would also help the moderation team if the teacher commented on how the evidence shows breadth, challenge and application, although this is not necessary if the evidence shows clear achievement at the level. In short this space gives the teacher an opportunity to justify why they think this learner has achieved the level.

The teacher’s voice section on the planning sheet also allows two way communications between the teacher and the moderation team to take place. For example, if a teacher remains unsure about whether or not this learner is secure, this can be noted, in which case they will receive feedback from the moderation team to help them in future.

The Learner’s Voice:

Once again the inclusion of ‘the learner’s voice’ is very important assessment evidence for the following reasons:

Examples of pupil self-assessment against success criteria and reflective comments provided by the learner can provide very strong evidence. For example their comments may show that the learner is enjoying their learning experiences, or that they perceive the learning to be relevant to them and their lives in some way. (This provides a way of showing that your planning takes account of the seven principles of curriculum design). At this stage in our moderation journey however, it is enough that you generate evidence of achievement at a level.

Reflective comments showing that learners are aware of their strengths and next steps in learning, and that they can comment on their progress in learning over time, would provide additional evidence of increasing challenge and progression in learning. It provides an opportunity for them to show ‘how well’ they are learning.Where learners can comment in this way it is clear that they are developing independent learning skills. The development of these skills is critically important in 21st century.

2.3 What planning formats will we use in South Ayrshire? Schools are encouraged to use the South Ayrshire planning format (Appendix 2) to ensure that we have consistency in the evidence submitted at this early stage in our learning about moderation. However you are free to develop your own planning format if you think it is better and will provide the information needed by the moderation team. If you have developed a better planning format, please share this with us so that we can give examples of alternatives or improve our existing approaches.

2.4 How many assessment plans do we need to submit for moderation? Please include a separate assessment plan for each of the key, periodic assessments that you submit for moderation. (You could submit one pro-forma for all assessment but it would be a long document!). However please remember that you can also include evidence from day to day learning / formative assessment to supplement this evidence, particularly where there may be some debate about whether or not a learner has achieved the level they are working towards. Please also remember that you do not need to rewrite information on the planning sheet if you hold that information elsewhere. You can attach evidence of planning and assessment to the planning sheet if it helps to avoid completing parts of the sheet and duplicating effort.

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2.5 How do we involve the learner in the planning and assessment process? This is a critically important part of the moderation process and part of the revised expectations published by Education Scotland in HGIOS 4. We know that involvement of the learner in this way can significantly enhance progress and achievement.

A shared understanding of standards and expectations will emerge from learner and teacher discussions about the purpose of the learning. Learners must be clear about the purpose of the learning (as defined by learning intentions) and what successful learning looks like (as defined by success criteria). It is good practice to very actively involve them in discussions about learning intentions and success criteria when planning learning (please see page 7 above – the co-creation of success criteria – for further information and advice). It is also good practice to agree the most appropriate learning experiences with learners to help them develop independent learning skills.

By taking time to incorporate the teaching of skills required for peer assessment, teachers are encouraging learners to work collaboratively in sharing standards and expectations for the learning. The ability to view others' work objectively will also benefit learners in self-assessment of their own work. They can also plan their next steps in learning by being aware of which success criteria they achieved and which needed further development. Sharing learning intentions and success criteria develops the skills of independent learning that are so important for the future.

3. The Moderation Process The pro-forma which should be used to guide and support your moderation activities is included in Appendix 3. Teachers are also strongly advised to use the ‘Achievement of a Level Poster’ produced by Education Scotland which provides a very simple summary of this process (Appendix 7)

To develop and reach a shared understanding of national standards and expectations, moderation activities should include collaborative quality assurance of learning, teaching and assessment, and sampling and checking learners' work to ensure consistency in applying the standards. Consistent judgements are reached when teachers collaborate in planning for the learning, teaching and assessment process from the outset.

The local authority, schools and subject departments should ensure that planned time is allocated for this purpose each session.

The moderation process in the Broad General Education involves the following tasks:

3.1 Review all assessment evidence provided. Please closely evaluate each individual item of assessment evidence in your professional discussions, using the criteria listed on the moderation sheet to guide your discussions. However you are not being asked to complete a moderation sheet for every assessment item. Your moderation team should provide one overarching moderation sheet for all of the evidence, indicating whether there is strong evidence, some

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evidence or no evidence of the criteria listed. This will help departments focus on improving their evidence for the next round of moderation. A tick box approach has been developed in response to feedback received from staff who wished to maximise time for discussion. However you are asked to provide evaluative comments for the department and school as well to help them move forward.

3.2 Evaluate the Bundles of Es and Os Begin by reviewing the ways in which the school / department have bundled Es and Os together when planning learning in the BGE curriculum. Do you think they have bundled the Es and Os appropriately? Do they fit well together and forge natural links in learning? Do they provide a coherent learning experience, or is the learning experienced fragmented and badly planned? When you are moderating achievement at a level, is there evidence that Es and Os have been assessed across all the organisers in the curricular area or subject if there is more than one? In later exercises we will also ask if teachers have included relevant Es and Os from literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing that are the responsibility of all teachers.

3.3 Evaluating Learning Intentions and Success Criteria As noted above it is not possible to moderate assessment tools or assessment judgements without a statement of agreed standards of what would constitute achievement at a Level. In the Senior Phase this criteria is provided by SQA. In the Broad General Education we have to provide it ourselves in learning intentions and success criteria. Now consider the following reflective questions when evaluating the learning intentions and success criteria: 3.2.1 Do the LIs and SC relate clearly to the Es and Os / Benchmarks selected and reflect the key learning being assessed? 3.2.2 Do the LIs and SC reflect the level of challenge described in the language of the Es and Os eg describe, compare, evaluate? The language in the Es and Os provides information about what the standard at a particular level looks like. 3.2.3 Are the SC clear, relevant and measurable definitions of what success in learning looks like? Could a teacher use the success criteria to assess the piece of work? Or are the success criteria just a list of tasks that learners will complete? 3.2.4 Do the success criteria place a ceiling on the achievement of the learner? For example if learners are asked to give 3 examples of something when some learners could give four or more examples, then we are placing a ceiling on their achievement. We are not allowing them to display the full extent of their learning. 3.2.5 Is there any evidence that learners are involved in agreeing success criteria where appropriate? (Please see page 8 above for advice on how we can co-create success criteria with learners and how we can evidence this for moderation purposes) 3.2.6 Are the assessment activities appropriate to the success criteria? Are the assessment activities measuring what they are supposed to be measuring? Do the learning intentions and success criteria make clear the specific progress in learning that the assessment is measuring?

You may also wish to consider if the learning intentions and success criteria are written in child friendly, age appropriate language and feedback to the school / department.

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Keep a record of the agreements reached in this discussion. Across the assessment evidence provided is there strong evidence, some evidence or no evidence that the LIs and C are appropriate? Please provide evaluative comments as well as ticking the box.

3.4 Evaluating the Learning Experiences and Assessment Approaches and Evidence Once again, in this part of the moderation task you need to review all of the evidence but this time to focus particularly on the quality and appropriateness of the learning experiences and the planned assessment strategy.

In moderation, we evaluate the learning experiences provided in a unit of work because we no longer consider assessment to be something that happens at the end of a unit. It is something that happens throughout learning and teaching, and is a fundamental part of the learning experience. For example if we were teaching someone to drive and the planned learning experiences included teachers talking about how to drive followed by an investigation on how car’s work, then we would question the appropriateness of these learning experiences. Practice at the skill of driving would be necessary for someone to learn to drive a car well. Moderators also need to know about the supports children and young people have had during the learning experiences and assessment to ensure that they have been suitably challenged to achieve at a particular Level. Evidence to support progress needs to come from a greater range of sources than that found in written tasks for individual subject areas. Since Curriculum for Excellence focuses on a wider range of knowledge, skills, attributes and capabilities than previously defined in the curriculum, a range of evidence gives a clearer picture of learning. Appropriate sources of evidence can come from what pupils say, do and make, as well as write. This variety of evidence provides a more accurate picture of a learner’s ability and enhances the validity of the judgements made.

In evaluating ‘how much’ and ‘how well’ the assessment evidence shows progress in learning, you must remember to consider breadth, challenge and application.

Here are some reflective questions to help you evaluate the evidence:

3.3.1 Are the learning experiences planned by the teacher appropriate to the success criteria / assessment demands?

3.3.2 Is there evidence that the learning experiences planned by the teacher take account of the seven principles of curriculum design: challenge and enjoyment, breadth, progression, depth, personalisation and choice, coherence, relevance (Please see page 9 of this document for advice on what that evidence might look like)

3.3.3 Is the level of support and challenge in the learning and assessment activities appropriate? Will the learning and assessment activities support the learner to meet the demands of the level as described in the Es and Os and Benchmarks? Do they provide the best opportunity to ensure that learners achieve the learning intentions and learning outcomes? Do the learning and

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assessment activities themselves place a ceiling on the achievement of a learner? Are there learning experiences that would have resulted in better progress in learning?

3.3.4 Is the learning across the Es and Os linked together within a context? 3.3.5 Does the assessment evidence provided show a range of assessment approaches (eg use of

formative and summative assessment approaches, examples of make / say / write and do, and examples of peer and self assessment?) NB A range of evidence allows for more holistic judgements to be made about progress and achievement.

3.3.6 Comment on the level of challenge provided by the assessment evidence– how well does it provide opportunities for learners to show what they know and can do in line with the demands of the Es and Os?

3.3.7 Does the evidence show that learners are receiving regular feedback on their learning which supports their progress?

3.3.8 Is the feedback to learners related to the success criteria and does it allow them to set targets for their next steps in their learning? How well does the feedback provide guidance on strengths, progress, achievement and next steps? What, if anything, could be improved?

3.3.9 Evaluate the quality of the annotations of learners’ work made during quality assurance, and local moderation discussions if this is available.

3.3.10 The most important question to ask at all times is - do the learning experiences and assessment approaches / evidence meet the criteria for breadth, challenge and application?

Keep a record of the agreements reached. Across the assessment evidence provided is there strong evidence, some evidence or no evidence? Please provide evaluative comments as well as ticking the box.

3.5 Summary of Professional Discussions and Planning Next Steps

The last and arguably one of the most important aspects of the moderation process is to evaluate what you have learned about standards for assessment and the quality of learning, teaching and assessment in a school or department. This will help you / other teachers to plan how to make any improvements that may be required. This is also where you will be moderating the moderation!

Reflective questions Reflect on the learning for the group/whole class as well as tracking specific learners (‘how much’

and ‘how well’ have they learned). Evaluate the quality of professional thinking / reflection / practice that is evident in the assessment

and moderation evidence including the quality of planning (of learning, teaching and assessment) and the judgements made in the course of moderation

What are the key messages arising from the moderation exercise for the teacher / department / subject / school / cluster / authority to take forward learning, teaching and assessment?

If you are taking part in an authority moderation event you will also be asked to advise the department / school on any evidence that was missing as well as the school’s strengths and next steps in learning, teaching and assessment. Please provide as much feedback as possible through evaluative comments and provide advice on how the school / department can secure improvements.

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APPENDICES

1. South Ayrshire Pro-forma for Planning Assessment

2. South Ayrshire Pro-forma for Moderation

3. NAR Flowchart (single page summary of how to plan learning, teaching and assessment)

4. NAR Flowchart Summary Instructions

5. Taking a Closer Look at the National Assessment Resource: A Professional Learning Resource

6. What Makes Good Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

7. Achievement of a Level (Education Scotland Poster)

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South Ayrshire Council

Assessment Planning in the Broad General Education Curriculum Subject / Area: School:

Year Group: Level:

Assessment Focus:

PART 1 – Assessment Planning Information

1. Bundles of Related Experiences and Outcomes:

2. Benchmarks

3. Learning Intention(s)

4. Success Criteria

Appendix 1

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5. Context and description of (progressively challenging) learning experiences

6. Teacher’s voice (Please see page 11 of Management Guidelines)

PART 2 – Other Evidence to be Provided

1. Learner’s voice: (Please attach evidence e.g. peer and self-assessment, comments on

learning experiences etc)

2. Please attach a range of assessment evidence to show the learner has achieved the level. (This will include the assessment tools and the learner’s assessment evidence which may include formative and summative assessment and evidence from day to day learning. It may refer to ‘make, say, write or do’, although there is no need to include examples of each. The assessment strategy adopted should simply be appropriate to the Es and Os). Make sure you include evidence of breadth, challenge and application

3. Please ensure that teacher feedback to the learner in relation to the success criteria is provided with the evidence. (Good feedback should enable the learner to develop a target for their next steps in learning.)

4. Please attach the school’s own moderation record of the assessment evidence which shows their evaluation of the evidence provided and their judgement about whether this learner has achieved the level.

Thank you

Signature of Person Responsible: Date:

Signature of Line Manager: Date:

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Appendix 2

RECORD OF MODERATION ACTIVITIES

School

Curricular Area

Level Subject (secondary only)

Moderation Team leader’s name / school

Date

MODERATION REPORT: ACHIEVEMENT OF A LEVEL

Moderation Criteria Quality of Evidence Feedback to teachers / department / school on strengths and areas for improvement

Strong Evid.

Some Evid.

No Evid.

Bundles of Es and Os Es and Os: The bundle of Es and Os fit well together to provide a coherent learning experience

Evaluating Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Evaluating LIs and SC:

The LIs and SC relate clearly to the Es and Os / Benchmarks selected and reflect the key learning being assessed

The LIs and SC reflect the level of challenge described in the language of the Es and O (eg describe, compare, evaluate)

SC are clear, relevant and measurable definitions of what success in learning looks like.

The success criteria do not place a ceiling on the achievement of the learner

There is evidence that learners are involved in agreeing success criteria where appropriate

Quality of Learning Experiences and Assessment Approaches

Quality of Learning, Teaching and Assessment:

The learning experiences are appropriate for the Es and OS, success criteria and Benchmarks

The assessment approaches are appropriate for the ES and Os, success criteria / Benchmarks

There is evidence that the learning experiences and assessment approaches take account of the 7 principles of curriculum design: challenge and enjoyment, breadth, progression, depth, personalisation and choice, coherence, relevance

The level of support and challenge in the learning experiences and assessment approaches is appropriate.

The learning experiences / assessment approaches do not place a ceiling on the achievement of learners

The learning across the Es and Os is linked within a context?

The assessment evidence shows a range of assessment approaches (ie formative and summative / make, say, write and do, peer and self assessment etc

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Learners receive regular feedback which supports their progress in learning

The feedback to learners is related to the success criteria and allows them to set targets for their next steps in their learning

Overview of Assessment Evidence: Achievement of a Level

Overview of Achievement at a Level:

The evidence includes periodic / holistic assessments which show how much and how well a learner has progressed:

The assessment evidence brings together a number of Es and Os across organiser(s)

The assessment evidence demonstrates breadth of learning across the knowledge, understanding and skills set out in the Es and Os for the level.

The assessment evidence shows that the learner to respond can respond to the level of challenge in the Es and Os / Benchmarks

The assessment evidence allows the learner to demonstrate application of learning in new and unfamiliar contexts

The learner has responded consistently well to the level of challenge set out in the Es and Os for the level and has moved forward in their learning at the next level in some aspects

The assessment evidence comes from the four contexts for learning

There are no major gaps in the learning for example with respect to the relevant organiser(s) in your curricular area.

The moderation judgements of the school are sound and appropriate

Has the learner achieved the level? Yes No

What, if any, additional evidence or information would have been useful to help moderators confirm achievement of a level?

What were the strengths in the evidence submitted and what steps should the school take now to continue to improve aspects of learning, teaching and assessment. (Please add additional pages as required)

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Appendices 3, 4, 5 and 7 can be found on the Education Scotland website or the Assessment Glow page for

South Ayrshire.

APPENDIX 6 What Makes Good Learning Intentions and Success Criteria?

What makes a good Learning Intention

“Learners learn best when they understand what they are learning and what is expected of them.”

Set the Learning Intention in Context.

Make the learning intention clear and link it to the big picture ie the purpose and context of

the learning.

Sharing the learning intention and success criteria with young people is a very powerful tool

that can reach out to all learners.

Link the LI to the overall introduction to the E/Os.

Use SMART Learning Intentions

Small, measurable, achievable, realistic and time limited.

Keep LI focused on what will be learned by engaging with the task eg- “we are learning to

write a mystery story, using mysterious phrases and suspense”.

Use child friendly Language

Keep the LI clear and meaningful in language that is appropriate for the age and stage of the

young people.

Skills and knowledge based LIs are easier to create than concept based LIs.

Technical terms can be used and the more young people become familiar with them the

more they can cope.

Use words associated with Learning

Clear Learning Intentions should help pupils focus not just on the task and activity but also

the learning. Useful LIS may start with-

“we are learning to...”

“we are learning to understand...”

“we will learn to think about...”

“we are learning to be able to …”

Display the Learning Intention for the Visual Learner

Ensuring the LI is on display while pupils are on task keeps the learning focused. It reinforces

the purpose of the learning and pupils can easily revisit the LI.

It is useful to make the LI accessible eg-

- Pupils may write it in a jotter at the start of a piece of work

- Add to a card, learning log or workbook

- Display on a whiteboard or a poster

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What makes good Success Criteria.

Linking Learning Intention and Success Criteria

Good SC should be closely linked to the LI.

Continue to focus on the learning rather than the doing.

They should refer to specific features of the work that will be assessed.

Good Success Criteria

Use words that emphasise the learning, knowledge and understanding, thinking, skills.

It’s not always about an end product but the process . Don’t focus on a list of end goals.

Don’t enumerate eg.10 pieces of evidence.

Modelling Success Criteria.

Learners need a good idea of what a good piece of work looks like.

Share the standard by using exemplification of different types of work linking these to the

Success Criteria.

Illustrate the standards expected.

Displays of work can be used highlighting the links to the S.C. eg

“this is a good piece of work because…”

“this is an excellent piece of work because…”

Involving young people in creating the Success Criteria.

Involving young people in the process of identifying S.C. when assessing their response to a

specific Learning Intention helps them to engage better in their own learning.

Engaging with the learner through dialogue and discussion, eg asking how they know they

have achieved success in their learning, is formative.

Where appropriate it may be worth negotiating suitable S.C. with the pupils.

Skills related Success Criteria.

Again modeling the quality of the learning linked to the S.C. is very useful.

Using cooperative teaching, observing and highlighting the skills involved.

“what will a good one look like, feel like, sound like…”

Success Criteria and Self Assessment Checklist.

Some learning can lend itself to Success Criteria checklists.

When young people are trained in the skills of peer and self assessment this may be useful

when assessing the learning at that point in time and informing the next steps.

Young people can use summative assessment in a formative way to make judgements on the

success of their learning.

However, developing descriptors that are linked to levels of success may be more useful.

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Success Criteria and Targets

Using the term target can sometimes overshadow the process of the learning.

Using terms such as the following may be more meaningful –

My next step is-

I aim to-

I am working towards-

I could-

Don’t expect young people to know immediately how to embark on target setting. Young

people may need help in negotiating and working towards a target. A target is an end point.

The important part is the learning journey- sharing the criteria for success , guidance,

feedback ,reassurance helps with achievement.

However, skills based learning and group work can lend itself to target setting.

Personalised Success Criteria.

Some young people require, through dialogue and discussion and feedback, more help in

setting individualized learning goals and success criteria. Including the pupil’s voice is

important eg negotiation through dialogue built around effective questioning about the

learning, trying things out, looking for connections, asking why? All leads to a more inclusive

approach.

Success Criteria and Skills

At times it is difficult to distinguish the skills from the task and the knowledge based

activities. Learning Intention and Success Criteria are designed to share not just what the

young people will do but what they will learn and how they will recognize success.

It’s useful to think also about the difference between the activity set and the skills needed to

complete it. This helps to keep the focus on the learning by engaging with the task.

Build the skills into your planning.